


Broken Promises

by lyla_green



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Angst, Female Runner Five, Mission: s02m04 We Used to Be Friends, Spoilers up to S2 M4, bitten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:21:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24608371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyla_green/pseuds/lyla_green
Summary: It will be harder for him, and I swore to myself that I would be stronger than this. Well, I promised him after I came back from that horrible night that I would be fine, didn’t I?That makes two broken promises.
Relationships: Runner Five/Sam Yao
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Broken Promises

I enter New Canton, hearing the gates close behind me and feeling the familiar burn in my thigs that I get after a long run. Usually, I would walk for a bit, stretch, cool down. Instead, I fall to my knees, ignoring the sharp pain I get in my left leg. I want to scream, to cry, to shout. Instead, I look blankly at the sky while letting silent tears stream down my face.

It doesn’t take long for the door to the comms shack to open to reveal a distressed Sam. From his face, I can tell that he is still furious at Nadia, but all that goes away when he sees me crumpled on the ground, worry taking its place.

“Runner Five?” he calls out to me while making his way over.

All I do is start crying harder, cursing myself for my weakness. It will be harder for him, and I swore to myself that I would be stronger than this. Well, I promised him after I came back from that horrible night that I would be fine, didn’t I? That makes two broken promises.

I let out a dry cough, wincing at the pain that is building up in my chest, and take out my leg from under me, examining my ankle. There is a bloodied half-circle right where my leggings end. There is less blood than I expected, but it doesn’t change the situation.

I cough again, harder this time, and look at Sam, something I instantly regret. He’s stopped dead in his tracks and is looking at me with so much pain in his face that makes me want to end it right then and there.

The door to the comms shack opens once again, and I see Nadia come out, looking as guilty as ever. 

“What is going on? “she asks when she sees me on the ground, although from her face I know that she knows exactly what’s going on.

She approaches Sam and puts a hand on his shoulder. He jerks away, still not taking his eyes from me.

“Get Maxine,” he says through clenched teeth.

I didn’t think he was capable of saying something with so much hatred in his voice, but hey! I didn’t think I was capable of being bitten only 1 km away from New Canton just because I wasn’t paying attention but here I am!

“I think she is busy-“

“Now.”

He says it in such a way that Nadia simply nods and breaks into a run towards the hospital.

I look down and cough, again and again, feeling dizzy from the pain that is building up inside me. And from the fever, I realize.

“It’s…it’s just blood, right?”

I look up, startled, and see Sam right beside me, his fists clenched by his side. I didn’t even notice he came over during my coughing fit.

I just to shake my head, letting out another dry cough.

“I’m sorry,” I manage to croak out.

He breaks down. Crumples right behind me as his shoulders are shaking with silent sobs. Without thinking, I pull him into a hug, and we cry together. We cry until I can’t stop coughing and have to pull away. I look at him through my blurry vision, both from the pain and the tears. And it hurts even more to know that this is as close as we’ll ever get.

“Not you too,” he says, his voice cracking slightly at the end.

I am his fourth Runner Five. And it looks like there will be a fifth. I failed him. I failed Abel.

“Runner Five? Sam?”

Maxine is running towards us. She still has a mask on her face and some tools in her hands.

I cough again, and it feels like my insides are trying to make an appearance. I can barely breathe between the coughs as Dr. Myers pats my back soothingly.  
I finally stop for a minute, and even though my breath comes out in ragged gasps, I try to breathe normally.

“What happened?” asks Maxine, gingerly examining the bite.

 _“What happened”_. The same question Chris was asked a while ago before turning gray.

The same question I’m being asked right now. My brain can barely comprehend my situation.

“I..I wasn’t paying attent-“

A coughing fit makes me stop, and I can feel that more people came out and are all looking at me. Most of them are probably sad. Or shocked, or scared. But then I look up and see them. Jody. Janine. Eugene. They are all standing next to each other. I can see tears streaming down Jody’s face. Even Janine, strong, powerful Janine, looks on the verge of crying.

“How much?” I ask, surprised at the rasp that has become my voice.

Maxine sighs and sits down next to Sam.

“I’d say about an hour...at best.”

The situation hits me. I am going to become a zombie. I am going to die. I’ve been bitten. _I’ve been bitten._

I start hyperventilating, which doesn’t help my situation. I barely stay conscious while another coughing fit takes over me.

“Hey, hey, Runner five. Easy..” says Sam taking my hand in his.

Once the coughing is over, I take a deep breath and look up at the sky. It’s almost nighttime, and some starts are already showing.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t good enough,” I say.

“What? How can you say that?” says Sam. “Runner Five, listen to me. This is literally the apocalypse! What just happened is not because you’re not good enough. You’ve done better than most. And…I thank you for that.”

I manage to smile a little bit.

“And I thank you for always watching over me. You’ve made the apocalypse a lot more bearable.”

“And you helped Abel. Remember that.” comes Maxine’s voice through the dark.

I close my eyes briefly and feel the moment. In these past few months, Abel has become my home. Abel was the reason I woke up every morning, the reason I survived this long. But I didn’t just survive. I lived. I laughed, I cried, I made friends, enemies. Abel has given me a family.

“Oh my god, Archie!”

The moment is gone, I snap my eyes open and turn around to see Nadia looking past the gates. To my horror, I see Archie being chased by a huge horde of zombies. She is trying her best, her face contorted in pain as she sprints, but at this rate…they won’t be able to open the gates.

So, I make my decision.

“Let me run.”

“What? You can’t possibly-“

“I know I don’t have long left, but I can do this. The other runners can’t get ready fast enough to run decoy. Give me a gun and after they are distracted, I’ll do it myself.”

Sam winces at the last remark but slowly nods.

“If that’s what you want..”

I nod and cough into my arm. I give Sam’s hand one last squeeze, and slowly, I stand up and walk towards the gates. They start rising and I dare to look back and give a little wave, without lingering too much. I can’t look at them again. If I do, I know I’ll just give in. Because I’m scared of what’s to come. Really scared.

But there’s only forward from now on, no matter how short that’ll be.

I take a deep breath, cough one more time, and shout to make myself heard by the zoms.

And I run.

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly thought of rewriting this to make it more "dramatic", for the characters to say more...but then I realized that if this actually happened, there wouldn't be time for this. The situation itself is not glamorous and no one has long goodbye speeches prepared.  
> Anyways, I really hope you liked it!


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